A weather expert from Coulsdon says that sun-worshippers in Croydon won't have to wait too long for another burst of glorious weather.

The UK saw its hottest ever Early May Bank Holiday since the day off was introduced in 1978 - with a high of 28.7C recorded in Northolt, in west London - on Monday (May 7).

The temperature was only a degree or two lower in Croydon and meteorologist Ian Currie, who recently moved to Storrington but lived in Coulsdon for 40 years, described the weather as “exceptional” for so early in May.

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He said: “We have been due a really warm one for a while as the May bank holidays have a bad reputation. I think this will have been the best one ever as it was unbroken sunshine and warm temperatures.

“The temperature [on Bank Holiday Monday] would be warm even for the middle of July.”

Weather expert Ian Currie (Image: David Berman)

Temperatures reached around 25C again on Tuesday before beginning to return to levels more typical for this time of year.

Mr Currie compared the latest burst of heat to the weather in 1976 and 1990, in which good summers followed.

He said: “Bursts of heat in May can be followed by some pretty good summers but I wouldn’t like to say it’s going to be a good summer for sure as there have been some times, like in 1944, where it was a glorious May but what followed wasn’t the best.

“The summers of 1976 and 1990, where there were heatwaves in May and then some of the best summers we have seen, leads me to think this year we will get some pretty good weather in the summer, though.”

Mr Currie warned that the fact we endured a mixed April should cause us to be wary of getting our hopes up too much.

He said: “We had a fairly unsettled April with some great variations in the temperature. We had some almost record breaking temperatures around the 17th, 18th and 19th of April, some of the highest we have ever had in April.

“But then on April 20 the temperature hardly went above 5C. It was also a wet start to May but then we have had bursts of heat.

When the sun comes out you can't beat lazing around in a park (Image: Danny Fitzpatrick)

“We have had this sort of weather in the past before, in 1945 in the Croydon area.

“There was very similar unsettled weather for a time in April, and then it turned very cold at the start of May. But then around the 8th, 9th and 10th of May, so about the same time as this year, the temperatures were up to 26 and 27C.

“The summer that followed that was fairly mixed, and wasn’t the worst nor the best. So it may be that is what is going to happen this summer.”